Hearing Loss

At Nemours, we promise to do whatever it takes to treat children as we would our own. When your child comes to Nemours, we know you’re placing your trust in us. This trust and our dedication to improving the health of your child is what inspires us to provide exceptional care and the most satisfying experience possible.

Patient Stories

Results of Our Life-Changing Care

Patient Care

Courtney: Cochlear Implants

“There is great potential for success in a team approach to the very young child born with multiple ENT problems. Nemours’ effort to bring unique services to this community has given us the extraordinary opportunity to build a remarkable team of pediatric specialists. Nowhere else does this capacity exist in the southeastern United States, and it is rarely approached in the nation.”

On the day she was born, Courtney failed a hearing test conducted by Nemours. She failed the test again before leaving the hospital. After more tests at Nemours Children’s Clinic, Jacksonville, her parents received the stunning news that Courtney was profoundly deaf.

Courtney’s mom tells of the day she learned that her daughter was deaf. “My husband took Courtney to Nemours because I had to work, and he said that he’d call me with the results right away. He didn’t call me back — he showed up at my work. I knew then that it wasn’t good news. All we could think was she’ll never hear us say, ‘I love you’ and she’ll never be able to say it to us. All our hopes for Courtney seemed to die that day.”

When hearing aids didn’t work, the family went back to Nemours to explore the option of cochlear implants. At just one year old, Courtney received her right implant. A year later, she received her left. Courtney, now three years old, continues therapy at Nemours. She’s made so much progress that her mother, Debbie, notes, “You would never know she’s deaf.”

Breakthrough Treatment

Nemours’ Cochlear Implant Program uses an integrated multidisciplinary approach to evaluate and manage treatment of children with severe to profound deafness who elect to have an implant. Often referred to as a bionic ear, the cochlear implant is the only medical invention available that can restore a lost sense. Experts from all related ﬁelds — audiology, speech pathology, education of the deaf, genetics, psychology, and auditory therapy — team up to treat each patient with the utmost care.

“There is great potential for success in a team approach to the very young child born with multiple ENT problems. Nemours’ effort to bring unique services to this community has given us the extraordinary opportunity to build a remarkable team of pediatric specialists. Nowhere else does this capacity exist in the southeastern United States, and it is rarely approached in the nation.” Gary Josephson, MD, Division Chief of the Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery and Communication Sciences, Nemours Children’s Clinic, Jacksonville.

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